Wicked
by maddiecggleek
Summary: "Rachel," I hissed through my teeth as I helped her off stage behind the closed curtain, "I don't give a crap about what happened in high school, I don't care about retribution or karma, I don't even care about that song!" Klaine. Puckleberry.


**Wicked**

_Summary: "Rachel," I hissed through my teeth as I helped her off stage behind the closed curtain, "I don't give a damn about what happened in high school, I don't give a shit about retribution or karma, I don't even care about that damn song. You could have killed yourself!" "So?" she hissed back, pretending to grimace in pain. Future-fic. Slight Klaine, Puckleberry, and Fuinn._

_A/N: So I changed my mind and I like how A Little Night of Music turned out. And this has been the first time I've written in FOREVER and now all these ideas are pounding in my head. So I've decided to release one-shots with Broadway names because I'm a dork like that. Sometimes it will be centered around the actual show, like this one, and sometimes they won't. I'm not going to promise when any come out because I am __so__ busy. Recently, I landed the role Ronette for our school's production of Little Shop of Horrors, so I have that on top of homework and obscene amounts of work._

_**Disclaimer: I do not own Glee or any of its characters, only Ryan Murphy does. (But if he gave me Darren Criss for my 18**__**th**__** birthday coming up, I would definitely not complain)**_

It's been ten years since I auditioned for New Directions. Nine since I transferred to Dalton Academy because of a bullying problem. Eight and a half since I transferred back to McKinley, with a wonderful boy following me there. Now here I am, nervously gripping Blaine's hand as we sit in the front row of Gershwin Theater, besides Puck, Finn, and Quinn. The magnificent set of Wicked is looking gloriously mysterious on the greenly lit stage.

"She'll be fantastic, with all your help, and it's not like you haven't watched the dress rehearsals thirty times," Blaine teased in my ear softly. I gave a short nod in response to my boyfriend, but kept my eyes glued to the stage as the Prelude to 'No One Mourn the Wicked' started and the curtain rose. It didn't matter that she wasn't going to be taking stage for another ten-fifteen minutes. Everything had to be _flawless_.

When Rachel…_Elphaba _did take the stage, she was impeccable. Her defiant expression was fierce and just…perfect. I sighed as she began her opening number, The Wizard and I. I could tell from glancing behind me as well that she had the audience's rapt attention as she enchanted them with her voice. I glanced over to watch the reaction of our friends. Puck looked like he was about to burst with pride for his fiancée. Finn had a goofy grin for his best friend and ex-girlfriend. Quinn was beaming and closing her eyes, letting her 'sister's' voice take over the room. Blaine was grinning ear-to-ear and squeezing my hand.

As the musical progressed everyone fell more in love with Rachel, just as we had hoped. When the strains for Defying Gravity could be heard, I immediately sat up and leaned forward, as did everyone who knew the song.

_Something has changed within me, something is not the same._

It was haunting, and Rachel filled the role perfectly. She changed the timber in her voice from its normal strong quality, to slightly frightened…uncertain almost. Just as we had practiced. I beamed; she was going to _kill it_.

As the song moved on, as Elphaba got more certain of what she wanted to achieve, her voice became stronger, until Rachel was belting it out. A little earlier than most actresses chose to, but she was saving her full belt to the end.

Despite having heard and seen it countless times, I was in tears by the time she and Galinda were singing to each other. Elphaba snatched her hand back at the end of the phrase and ran to the cherry picker. And I held my breath in anticipation.

"It's not her. She has nothing to do with it! I'm the one you want, it's me! It's….AHHHHHHHHHHHH!" All of the sudden, her terrified scream filled the room, and my heart fell to my stomach, as I watched in horror, as the cherry picker rose, but Rachel, clinging on for dear life, the door had swung open, and her dress was caught on the door. She hung half way out, clinging on the door for dear life.

"_Rachel!_" bellowed Puck, and I was hot on his heels as we barreled for the doors to the hall, where we could get access to the stage.

By the time security pointed us to the right direction (they recognized both of us) we were running to the wings. When we stopped, we saw that the curtain had been closed, and heard the director's announcement for everyone to stay calm that they were handling it. I felt Puck rush from my side, and I saw that they had gotten her down, and ran over and joined him as we got on the floor beside her, her make-up wasn't streaked from her tears yet…that was when I noticed something.

When Rachel really cried, her tears were irregular, not pouring down one after another, but waited for weird intervals. When she was fake crying, it came down like Niagara Falls, which was what she was doing now.

_What the hell was going on? _

Meanwhile Puck was speaking in a low, sadistic tone to a few of the crew, who looked so frightened, that they weren't paying attention to us. So I leaned forward and whispered, "What the _hell_ are you _doing_?"

"Giving you the chance you never got to have in high school," she whispered back, and I saw her eyes, as I withdrew back sharply, and yelled out, "_What?"_

"Hush, it's simple, all of my stand-bys are sick from eating from the fruit baskets I sent them earlier," her murmured plan was making my head spin, "I knew you'd run back here, so I 'accidentally' didn't hook the latch correctly and…"

"Rachel Barbra Berry you are fucking insane," I hissed through my teeth as I helped her up, and began walking off the stage, "I don't give a damn about what happened in high school, I don't give a shit about retribution or karma, I don't even care about that damn song. You could have _killed _yourself!" "So?" she hissed back, pretending to grimace in pain as we passed by Galinda, who took her other side and began helping me help her off the stage to her dressing room. I knew by her triumphant look that flashed across her face when we heard panicked whisperings that her stand-bys were sick.

The actress that played Galinda helped me settle her on her couch, and as soon as she left, I began checking Rachel for a concussion as the director and Puck came into the dressing room.

"Rachel sweetie, how are you feeling?" asked the trembling, balding man.

"I'm fine," Rachel sniffed, and she looked at him.

"We can't leave the audience waiting, I need to catch my breath and prepare for the next act," she informed him. She then stopped, and I noticed that she let a half smile flit at me before she turned around, a now mortified expression entering her face.

"I didn't finish the song," she pretended to murmur. She started towards the door, but Puck jumped in her way.

"Not on your damn life right now," he said, crossing his arms. I then saw her plan. Puck would not let her out of the room until she was checked by a doctor, they both knew that, and they could not leave the show where it was. She had made her stand-bys sick so that they couldn't perform…she was going to suggest that I finish it for her. I was slightly horrified when she did exactly that.

"Michael," she stated turning to the director, with her 'I am the lead bitch and hear me roar' face, "The show cannot pick up from where we left it, if Katie and Mel are sick…" she turned her head towards me, "Kurt's the only one who knows the blocking, who knows the part, and can pass it off perfectly to the audience, he has to sing it."

Michael looked like he was about to die with either embarrassment or with relief, but he finally responded, "Fine, let me make the announcement," and he was off. Puck was now staring suspiciously at Rachel as she ran to her closet, and she pointed to her vanity chair.

"Sit," she commanded. In minutes emergency green make-up was on my face, and I was in a spare costume, with the wig. I was given Rachel's microphone and then pushed off to the wings. I took a breath and stepped onto stage. The lights blinded me, but I met my cue, and started from the beginning of the song.

I struggled to remember the directions I had given Rachel, but I was focused on my part…and then I was Elphaba. I relaxed and began singing my heart out, knowing this would be my only time to shine.

After the duet, I ran to the cherry picker and carefully locked myself. I shouted the familiar lines at the cue and began full on belting in my falsetto. From where I was I could see the first three rows. My friends were grinning proudly (Rachel was there with them, beaming). The people I didn't know looked amazed.

_And nobody, in all of Oz no Wizard that there is or was_

I snarled, more speaking this than singing.

_Is ever gonna bring. Me…_

I let myself do a crazy riff, in which I heard a small gasp from the girl who played Galinda, and let myself give a huge, maybe half angered grin, as I finished the phrase.

_Down._

It was plain simple and belted. I saw my friends watch me in wonder, except, Rachel, who seemed to know I could do it.

_Bring me Down._

I felt myself hit the F, and I stayed there, letting the note soar.

_Ahhh._

The crowd was on its feet at my last tiny riff, and I ended the note with the drum, and the light blacked out and the curtain descended. I couldn't help but cry as the cherry picker descended, and Michael threw his arms around me, as well as the girl who portrayed Galinda (I really _should_ learn her name).

Amongst the babble, all my friends were suddenly backstage, and I was swept up in Blaine's eager kiss.

"That. Was. Fucking. Amazing." He breathed in between pecks. And I grinned as I was passed along to my stepbrother and Quinn, who hugged me fiercely, tears shining through her eyes. Then to Puck, who ruffled my hair (but I swore I saw tears in his eyes too) and then Rachel, in which I glared at her.

"I don't even know what to say to you right now," I said. She laughed and hugged me.

"Hey, it wasn't easy, it took careful planning," she murmured and she turned to Michael, her chin up.

"Is this a good time to mention that I want him as my understudy?"


End file.
